Little Garden Club of Rye

Message from the President

May 6, 2102

Dear Members,

May is the month when we gear up for tending our civic sites throughout the summer. The teams at each site have already begun their spring clean up, and many have added early bulbs or annuals to add seasonal interest. Care of our civic sites is one of the main obligations of our active and provisional members. Everyone is expected to actively participate at a site and be counted on to water and weed during the assigned periods. Our civic sites have never looked better, and we can all be proud of the public face of The Little Garden Club.

On May 15, the entire club will gather for a Civic Clean Up Day, a tradition started several years ago. Following our clean up, we will spread out blankets and enjoy a picnic with box lunches at the bucolic Knapp House garden. We are also going to be selling a beautiful array of annuals at near wholesale prices. So, hold off on buying materials for your summer planters because you may find just what you want at a terrific price.

Kathy Barnard and I spent three days in April in Savannah, Georgia, for the GCA Annual Meeting. I had the privilege of representing The Little Garden Club as club president, and Kathy attended as our delegate. Marilyn was also there in her capacity as Zone III Horticulture Representative, and Laura Haley was there as a Vice Chairman of the Flower Show Committee. I attended a presidents' workshop on strategic planning and enjoyed hearing about the challenges and solutions encountered by other clubs throughout the country. One of the purposes of GCA is to "share the advantages of association," and that is one of the most important opportunities offered at the annual meeting. I have already had follow-up contact with several of the club presidents about the topics we discussed.

Getting back to civic, I also learned at the GCA Annual Meeting that in 2012, the 200 GCA member clubs contributed $2.5 million to their communities! That is an average of $12,500 per club. This year our club donated $4,200 to various organizations and our civic budget was $4,000. We are able to make these donations and support of our civic sites through our successful fund raising efforts, particularly the holiday luncheon. Something else to be proud of.
Finally, another important event at the GCA Annual Meeting is the announcement of the Founders Fund winner. This year the member clubs voted and the 2012 Founders Fund Award is "Growing Minds and Spirits" at the Bishop T. Walker School for Boys in Washington, D.C. I recommend that everyone visit the GCA website, click on 2012 Founders Fund Winner and read about the inspiring project.

This is a wonderful opportunity to increase the diversity of your habitat and "garden as though life depended on it."

Anna

Along with other community partners, we enhance our community with plantings at the Rye Post Office, Metro North Train Station, Knapp House, Rye Nature Center, and throughout the business district.

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